Automatic corn-planter.



O. H. HALL.

AUTOMATIC CORN PLANTER.

APPLICATION rum) AUG. 7, 1911.

1 ,0 1 8,6 1 3 Patented Feb. 27, 1912.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

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G. H. HALL.

AUTOMATIC CORN PLAN'IER.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 7,1911.

1,018,61 3. Patented Feb. 27, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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an o 55 Jif /JJ 57 Attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. HALL, OF FRANKFURT, INDIANA, ASSIGNOIJOF ONE-HALF T0 TIMOTHYR. FOLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC CORN-PLANTER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. HALL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Frankfort, in the county of Clinton and State of Indiana,have invented a new and useful Automatic Corn-Planter, of which thefollowing is a specification.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a marking apparatusfor a corn planter, which apparatus may be operated without the use ofcords or like means.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means for startingthe action of the marker, and for adjusting the mecha-. nism to mark thefirst hill.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means forcontrolling the outflow of the marking material, from the receptacle inwhich it is housed.

. With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope ofwhat is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings,Figure 1 shows the invention in sideelevation; Fig. 2 is a top plan; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of thereceptacle in which the marking material is stored and delivered; Fig. 4is a side elevation of the structure appear ing in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is asection upon the line A-B of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of thespout through which the marking material is deposited, parts beingsectioned, in order to disclose the mechanism whereby the gates of thespout are operated; and Fig. 7 is a fragmental perspective, illustratingthe manner in which the drive chain cooperates with the auxiliary shaft,in actuating the mechanism for dropping the marking material.

In carrying out the invention there is provided a wheel-mounted frame,which may be of any desired construction, the frame being denotedgenerally by the numeral 1. A seat 2 is carried by the frame, adjacentthe rear end thereof.

The frame 1 above described, supports an axle 3, carrying ground wheels4.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. August 7, 1911.

Patented Feb. 27, 1912.

Serial No. 642,589.

An arched bracket 5 is secured to the frame 1, to the rear of the axle3, and adjacent the drivers seat 2, the bracket 5 extendinglongitudinally of the vehicle. The bracket 5 includes and supports anupright standard 6, within which is mounted for vertical slidingmovement, a rack bar 7, adapted to be engaged by a segment 8, pivotallysupported as shown at 9, upon an arm 10, carried by the standard 6;although any other desired means for mounting the seg ment 8 may beselected if deemed desirable. Operatively connected with the segment 8,for the manipulation of the same, and disposed within easy reach fromthe drivers seat 2, is a lever 11.

The lower end of the rack bar 7 carries a hanger 12, in which isjournaled for rota tion a ground wheel 14, a sprocket wheel 15 beingconnected with the ground wheel 14, for simultaneous rotation therewith.Trained about the sprocket wheel 15, is a forwardly extended chain belt16, having a series of projections 17, the functions of which will beset forth hereinafter. The forward portion of the chain belt 16 istrained about the sprocket wheel 18, supported for rotation upon ahanger 19, the hanger 19 being carried by any accessible portion 20 ofthe frame 1.

The seed receptacle is shown at 21, the numeral 22 indicating the furrowopener.

The present invention relates to the means whereby the marking materialis deposited upon the soil, and since the device forming the subjectmatter of the present application is adapted to be used with manystandard forms of seeders, the seed planting mechanism will be dismissedwith the foregoing brief description.

A belt tightener is provided, for maintaining the chain belt 16 taut,this belt tightener comprising a strong spring arm 23, the lower end ofwhich is assembled with the frame 1, a sprocket wheel 24 being journaledfor rotation upon the upper end of the spring arm 23, the spring arm 23serving, obviously, to thrust the sprocket wheel 24 against the upperrun of the chain belt 16, so as to tighten the chain belt. For a purposeto be set forth hereinafter, the sprocket wheel 24 is equipped with anoutstanding handle 25, seen most clearly in Fig. 2.

J ournaled for rotation in the frame 1, and located transversely of theframe, adjacent the forward end thereof, is a shaft 26, shown in detailin Fig. 7. The shaft 26 carries an outstanding primary finger 27,adapted to be engaged successively by the projections 17 of the chainbelt 16. The outer end of the shaft 26 carries a secondary finger 28,having functions which will appear hereinafter.

The invention further includes a receptacle 35, supported at one side ofthe vehicle, upon the frame 1, adjacent one of the seed receptacles 21.This receptacle 35, seen most clearly in Fig. 3, includes a bottom 37,and a spaced, false bottom 38, between which are located guides 39 (seeFig. 5), a gate 40 being slidably mounted between the guides 39 andbetween the false bottom 38 and the bottom proper 37. In the gate 40there is an opening 41, the gate 40 being normally constrained by aretractile spring 42, secured to the gate 40 and to the receptacle 35,so that the opening 41 will be maintained in alinement with the neck ofa hop per 43 located within the receptacle 35.

Opening through the bottom-proper 37 of the receptacle 35, is a spout44, and the gate 40 may be slid, through the instrumentality of a rod45, pivoted to the gate 40, the sliding of the gate 40 under the actionof the rod 45 serving to aline the opening 41 in the gate 40 with theupper end of the discharge spout 44. The rod 45 extends through anopening 46 in the side wall of the receptacle 5, and protrudesrearwardly, into accessible relation with respect to the drivers seat 2.

To one side of the spout 44, a tubular guide 48 is attached. The tubularguide 48 has in its interior, supports 49 in which is mounted forlongitudinal sliding movement, an operating rod 50. In order to maintainthe operating rod 50 normally uplifted, a retractile spring 51 issecured at its upper end to the tubular member 48, the lower end of thespring being secured to an ear 52, projecting outwardly from the rod 50,through a slot 53 in the guide tube 48 (see Fig. 3).

Secured at one end to the spout 44, within the contour of the tubularguide 48, is a spring tongue 54, one end of which bears against theoperating rod 50, to maintain the same seated for sliding movement inthe supports 49. To the lower end of the rod 50 is pivoted a head 55. Tothe lower end of the head 55 is pivoted a pair of diverging links 56,the lower ends of the links 56 being pivotally connected with a pair ofgates 57, constituting closures for the lower end of the spout 44, thegates 57 being hinged at their outer edges to the lower end of thespout, as shown at 58. The upper end of the operating rod 50 is equippedwith an outstanding arm 59, adapted to be engaged by the secondaryfinger 28 of the shaft 26, as outlined in Fig. 7.

The operation of the device is as follows: The lever 11 may bemanipulated, operating the segment 8, which latter, meshing into therack bar 7, will secure a raising and lowering of the rack bar 7,together with the hanger 12, the ground wheel 14 being thereby movedinto and out of engagement with the soil. Presupposing that the groundwheel 14 is in engagement with the soil, it will be noted that thesprocket wheel 15 will be rotated, along with the ground wheel 14, asthe latter moves over the ground, when the planter is drawn forwardly.The rotation of the sprocket wheel 15 will actuate the chain belt 16,the projections 17 of which will engage successively with the primaryfinger 27 of the shaft 26. When the shaft 26 is thus rocked, thesecondary finger 28 will engage the head 59 of the operating rod 50,causing a depression of the operating rod, and a consequent opening ofthe gates 57 which are located at the lower end of the spout 44. Thegates will be returned to closed positions, and the operating rod 50will be raised, through the action of the spring 51.

The receptacle 35 and the hopper 43, it is to be understood, are filledwith meal, saw dust, dry sand, or any other material which will leave avisible mark upon the soil. This material will normally run downwardly,and fill the opening 41 in the gate 40, when the parts are positioned asshown in Fig. 3; however, the material cannot then run into the spout44, for the reason that the opening 41 in the gate 40 is out ofalinement with the upper end of the spout. If the rod 45 be drawn upon,the gate 40 will be pulled laterally, depositing the charge of materialin the spout 44, from which it will be freed by the act-ion of the gate57, when the gates 57 are opened in the manner hereinbefore set forth.Obviously, the spout- 44- may be partially or completely filled,permitting successive deposits of the marking material to be made, whenthe gates 57 are successively opened by the action of the arm 59 and thefinger 28. As will be understood readily, the depositing of the markingmaterial will ordinarily take place only at the beginning of each row,or at places where the right line movement of the planter is departedfrom, as, for instance, when the planter is turned to one side, to passaround a stump or rock. In order to set the .marking and droppingmechanism properly, at the beginning of the row, or at any other pointin the row, the handle 25 may be engaged, rotating the wheel 24, thewheel 24 engaging the chain belt 16, and moving the same until a proper,coiiperat'ion between one of the projections 17 and the primary finger27 of the shaft 26 is secured.

It is to be understood that the chain belt 16, in practical operation,will control the seed-dropping mechanism and the marking mechanism, andthus, when the chain belt 16 is manipulated manually, in the mannerhereinbetore set forth, the initial dropping of seed, and the initialdepositing of marking material will take place together.

From the foregoing it will be seen that it lies within the power of theoperator of the structure, to deposit upon the ground, at any time, acharge of marking material, indicating that a quantity of seed has beensown at a given location. The object at tained by marking the soil atany given place, is well understood, by those skilled in the art andneed not be dealt with at length at this place.

It will of course be understood that the segment 8 and the lever 11constitute a means for raising and lowering the rack bar 7, thuselevating the hanger 12, and moving the ground wheel 14 out ofengagement with the soil. Then the ground wheel let. is thus out ofengagement with the soil, the belt. tightener wheel 24 may be rotated inthe manner hereinbetore set forth, so that the row may be startedproperly, without backing or drawing forward the vehicle.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A device ofthe class described comprising awheel-mounted frame; a bracket thereon;a rack bar mounted for vertical sliding movement in the bracket; a mentpivotally supported on the trame, and meshing into the rack bar; a leveroperatively connected with the segment; a ground wheel connected withthe rack bar, for raising and lowering; a pulley connected with theground Wheel, to rotate therewith; a pulley supported for rotation uponthe frame; a belt trained about the pulleys and having spacedprojections; a receptacle for marking material, mounted upon the frame;

Copies of this patent may be obtained for means for opening and closingthe receptacle, said means being engagcable by the projections upon thebelt.

2. A device of the class described comprising a wheel-mounted frame; ahanger connected with the frame; a ground wheel journaled for rotationin the hanger; means for raising and lowering the hanger; a beltoperatively connected with the ground wheel and supported upon theframe, the belt being provided with spacedprojections; marking mechanismcarried by the frame; means for opening and closing the markingmechanism, said means being engageable by the projections of the belt; abelt tightener upon the frame, including a rotatable element, engagedwith the belt; and means for operating the rotatable element, when theground wheel is out of engagement with the ground.

3. A device of the class described comprising a wheel-mounted frame; areceptacle for marking material, mounted upon the frame; a spout leadingfrom the receptacle; a gate for the spout; an operating member movablyconnected with the spout and with the gate, to open and to close thegate; ground-engaging mechanism adapted to engage directly with theoperating member to open and to close the gate; spring means foractuating the operating member, to hold the gate normally closed and toretract the operating member into the path of the ground-engagingmechanism; a gate slidable in the receptacle and adapted to open and toclose the spout; and means independent of the operating member and ofthe ground-engaging mechanism, for operating the last mentioned gate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto atlixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. HALL.

\Vitnesses THOMAS J. Romans, TIMOTHY R. FOLEY.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington,D. C.

